One common speed indicator for model railroad application operates with a frequency meter for sensing the pole pulses generated when a direct current motor rotates. This pulse sensing type device interferes with operation of other desired equipment. For example, pulse power is used to jog small motors into an effectively slow rotation speed at an effectively high available torque at low average terminal voltage to achieve smooth, slow starts. Pulse power starting or operating equipment can interfere with the speed indication signal. High frequency lighting and signaling features can interfere with speed indication. Motor pulses used for speed indication may also interfere with high frequency signals. All of these signals include frequency components that interfere with operation of speed indicating equipment. The pulses generated by DC motors used by presently available speed indicators, stress transistorized throttles and high frequency generators. It is desirable to eliminate these pulses and the attendant noise, preferably by filtering at the source. However, filtering out these pulses and noise virtually incapacitates presently available commercial speed indicators. Further, when, in model railroad application for example, two or more units may be multi-headed, and though the motors are loosely mechanically coupled, the motors run at different speeds due to different wheel diameters and gear ratios. When such units are matched so that multi-heading is possible, the net per unit speed is thus also matched. With the speed detector/indicator, accurate speed indication is possible whereas with the prior art frequency detecting type instrument, this is not practical. Also, on some larger industrial DC motors a separate tachometer composed of a permanent magnet or separately excited DC generator is employed to indicate speed. This method of sensing speed results in separate equipment mounted on the outer motor housing or incorporated in the motor and utilize separate wiring leads from the motor to related indicator or control circuits.